It's the hop, hoppiest time of the year!

Yep, Merry Christmas 2013. It's gonna be - and it already is - pretty grand.

You know what else is grand? HOPPY BEERS! And lot's of them. Hurrah!

Last Sunday, we had the first meeting of the Hopheads Unite over Beer (HUB) Club. A, MH1, MH2, and K came over and tried almost all of the beers from my November Half Time delivery. In sum, the beers weren't as hoppy as I hoped they would be (granted, the highest IBU count was 82), but the company was stellar and I discovered a few new brews of interest.

Of the nine we tried for HUB Club, we went in the order of ascending IBUs so we wouldn't automatically ruin tasting the lower IBU brews. We skipped a couple so we could ensure that everyone could try one of the highest IBUers (I'll star those, since, well clearly I tried them later). And here go!

1) Snapperhead IPA, Butternuts Beer and Ale

(6.8% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)

Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of this "IPA" (or more aptly: water beer with a dash of hops). Notes indicate "IPA Bud Light" and "good for drinking games." Oh well, you can't win them all.

2) Southampton IPA, Southampton Publick House

(6.5%, 40 IBUs, more stats here)

Well, just in case we weren't sure before: it's confirmed. I don't like low IBU IPAs. They're kind of silly, like MC Hammer Pants.  Notes say "slightly hoppier than [Snapperhead] but still fairly watery."

3) Hopside Down, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

(6.7%, 50 IBUs, more stats here)

As the first brew I recognized in the line-up, this Oregon biddy was an interesting one. Notes reveal that it was "again light, but tickles the tongue with some fun hops." There was a bit of a woody aftertaste, perhaps pine. It wasn't my favorite, but at least it was more interesting...and as MH1 so eloquently quoted, "[I'm] sensing a pine tree in my mouth."

4) Big Daddy IPA, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

(6.5% ABV, 55 IBUs, more stats here)

Oh Big Daddy. You'll always have a fond place in my heart, as I seemed to get you whenever I went to Mojo Bicycle Cafe (a favorite neighborhood haunt near my old place in SF that had EPIC chicken and avocado sandwiches...and don't get me started on their pop-up burger nights. Hmmm). Maybe it was being in SF (and thus I was viewing everything with a hop-tinted glasses), but I thought I remembered Big Daddy being...bigger. Or perhaps they served Double Daddy instead, and I'm simply remembering it all wrong. One fun note: "vanilla aftertaste?" Intriguing.

5) Southern Hops'pitality, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.

(6% ABV, 60 IBUs, more stats here)

So I had high hop(es) for this one. The witty name. The pretty bottle. Unfortunately, the cover misrepresented this book, as it had a distinct bad white wine taste. Like bad cheap white wine - oy. MH1 was a bit more kind, indicating that she thought it "wasn't bad enough to send back, but maybe you'd kind of want to." That my friends, is hospitality.

6) Back in Black, 21st Amendment Brewery

(6.8% ABV, 65 IBUs, more stats here)

"Coffee-y, darker, cozy, and lovely" - and MH2 took the can home as a souvenir. This is when I started to get excited, as we were officially out of the < 65 IBU realm...

7) Centennial IPA, Founders Brewing Co.

(7.2% ABV, 65 IBUs, more stats here) 

...ok, maybe I needed to wait a beat more. This beer was fine and "easy to drink, but [it wasn't] anything to write home about."

8) Lake Placid IPA, Lake Placid Craft Brewing Co.

(6.8% ABV, 67 IBUs, more stats here)

The red Adirondack chair. Childhood memories of visiting Lake Placid with the family and going to eat at the Black Bear Restaurant. Trying to race my brother down a paved hill on roller blades, falling hard, and ultimately bruising my tailbone - which then made watching James and the Giant Peach that night really uncomfortable. Anyway. This IPA was smooth, but as A observed, there was "a bit of a bitter aftertaste."

9) Avery IPA, Avery Brewing Co.*

(6.5% ABV, 69 IBUs, more stats here)

Just go for the Dugana instead. It's far better and more enjoyable. The Sixgill used to carry it, and I believe Wallingford's fabulous Bottleworks may now.

10) Islander IPA, Coronado Brewing Co.*

(7% ABV, 75 IBUs, more stats here)

Again, there are just better options from Coronado. Idiot IPA, Hoppy Daze...in sum, opt out if you're an actual hophead.

11) Timber Beast, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.

(9% ABV, 80 IBUs, more stats here)

FINALLY! A brew suitable for a hops beast. Notes exclaim "YES!! Delightful!" The HUB Club's unofficial winner! (well, ha, at least for me - others may think differently)

12) Hop Notch, Uinta Brewing Co.*

(7.3%, 82 IBUs, more stats here)

OH MY. Hopfreakingtastic. I need to find more of this wonderment. Oh wait, Uinta has a wonderful little beer search engine...Murphy's Pub, I'll see you soon!

And of course, now that I've finally finished writing about the November Half Time beers, the December ones are on their way. What a bummer...ha.

Cheers!
N